The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre, the Tamil Nadu government, and other concerned authorities on a petition challenging the proposed surrender of 152 vacant super-speciality medical seats to the All India Quota (AIQ) for the 2025-26 academic session. The plea was filed by the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association, which has urged the court to prevent the transfer of the vacant seats and allow eligible in-service doctors an opportunity to compete for them.

A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the respondents and scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 15. During the proceedings, the bench observed that in-service state doctors, who continue to serve in the public healthcare system while pursuing higher education, may deserve a lower eligibility cut-off compared to other candidates seeking admission to super-speciality courses.

The dispute arises from an earlier order passed in the Tamilveni case by a coordinate bench led by Justice P S Narasimha. In that order, Tamil Nadu was directed to inform the Director General of Health Services about 152 vacant super-speciality seats so that they could be filled through the all-India merit list. The seats relate to DM and MCh courses, which are among the highest levels of medical specialisation available in the country.

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Following the order, the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association approached the apex court seeking to halt the surrender of the vacant seats during the ongoing NEET-SS 2025 counselling process. The association argued that the vacant seats should remain available for in-service candidates within the state system rather than being transferred to the all-India pool. It also requested that in-service doctors be allowed to participate in the third round of counselling if the qualifying percentile is reduced below 50 percent after the completion of the second round.

Senior Advocate P Wilson, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the qualifying percentile had already been lowered in postgraduate medical admissions, but the second round of counselling for super-speciality seats had not proceeded because of the earlier court order. He argued that the association representing in-service medical officers was not a party to the Tamilveni proceedings and therefore did not have an opportunity to present its concerns before the order was passed.

The case highlights the continuing debate over balancing opportunities for in-service government doctors with the broader merit-based allocation of super-speciality medical seats. The outcome of the proceedings could have significant implications for medical admissions in Tamil Nadu, particularly for doctors serving in the state's public healthcare system who are seeking advanced specialist training. The Supreme Court is expected to examine the competing claims before deciding whether the vacant seats should remain within the state quota or be transferred to the all-India quota pool.

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